Stolen Glances
by hiphoebe
Summary: **this has more than 147 words, idk what ffnet is doing** They eat and sometimes talk, but more often they don't. They stare at the ceiling, and they steal glances at each other. / AU: Modern day, Arya and Gendry in Vegas. / ONESHOT. ((for bills))


Arya doesn't know what to think when they arrive. She is used to the quiet of the North, the strange silence on winter nights, when it is so quiet she feels as if she can hear the snow falling. But now, here, in a place where the first thing you see is a gaudy, lit up sign that screams "Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas, Nevada", Arya doesn't know what to think, partly because the cars rushing by, the people talking, the music from a casino across the street, are drowning out her thoughts. The buildings are towering, surrounding her, and without thinking she grabs Gendry's hand. He hesitates, but they keep walking. They arrive at a hotel called The Grand Palace, except the r in grand has fallen off, and most of the red neon letters proclaiming the name are flickering on and off in a desperate attempt to continue to advertise the hotel.

Arya is unsure, but Gendry, still holding her hand, ushers her inside. It's not that bad, really, once you get past the ugly brown and pink carpeting and the peeling, fake leather furniture. Gendry begins to lead Arya to the front desk, but she pushes in front and leads him instead. She is past being scared. That is done. She is Arya Stark, and she is not afraid of anything, let alone cheap hotels with old, bleach-blonde, curly haired ladies at the front desk.

"A room, please," she tells the woman, who according to a slightly rusty name tag, is called Pamela.

"Well, alright. And for how long will you two be staying here?" Arya looks at Gendry. Of course, they don't know. They never know. They're on the run. They stay until the Lannisters come. But Arya is sure that that is not an answer Pamela will accept, so she tells her that they will be staying one week, and Pamela gives them a key and tells them that their room number is 201. So they ride the small, dingy elevator up to the second floor, unlock the door to room 201, and step inside. The room is tiny. There is a bathroom, but it is not much bigger than the closet opposite it. There is only one bed.

"Well." Gendry says, and Arya looks at him, and they both start laughing. Neither can remember the last time they laughed, but they have started and now they cannot stop. At one point Gendry is so overcome by laughter that he falls and begins to roll on the floor, and this causes Arya to do the same. This goes on, and neither can place what is so funny, but whatever it is, it has done them some good. They are like little children in this moment. If one of them begins to quiet down, the other will simply glance at them and it will start again. Finally, they both stop, as if they have cleared every ounce of laughter from their bodies.

They lie there on the floor, exhausted, just staring at each other. It occurs to Gendry that what they are doing is romantic. He cannot deny that he has feelings for Arya. But she is Arya, and he is Gendry, and she is the bravest person he has ever met. If only he could be as brave, if only he could tell her. But he will not. He cannot. So for now, he will look, but from a distance.

* * *

They decide that the bed doesn't matter, so they both just jump in, exhausted from travelling and laughter. Gendry falls asleep first, and then Arya. While they are asleep, they somehow entwine themselves with one another, so when they wake up, Arya is surrounded by Gendry's arms, and Arya is hugging him around the waist. They open their eyes at the same time and immediately jump apart, though both are left wishing they had not.

They realize that they have no food. Arya sighs and opens the curtains. At least the city is less intimidating in the light. She doesn't want to be scared. Arya Stark does not get scared. So she pulls Gendry out the door and they search for the nearest supermarket. Arya tries to ask the local people about where the supermarket is, but nobody actually seems to be local. She wonders if this is a hollow town. Maybe nobody lives here. Maybe everything here was built to accommodate people like her, who never stay anywhere for very long, who are on the run. She knows this is probably not true, but it comforts her, so she keeps the thoughts close.

They finally find a small grocery store, and they make the shopping a game, racing through the aisles to find various things faster than the other. It is the trivial things like this that keep them sane. It is the small doses of fun amidst the running and the fear. Arya fears that one day they will both go mad. _At least I would have Gendry, _she thinks, but as soon as she thinks it she kicks herself, pushes the thought out her mind. Because she can't want him. Not like that.

They finish the shopping and return to the hotel, where they remain for the rest of the day. They both know that neither of them have any desire to sightsee. So they spend the day in the room, eating and sometimes talking, but more often not talking. They stare at the ceiling, and they steal glances at each other. By now, both know it's inevitable. One day, it's going to happen. But neither will say anything. Gendry is scared; Arya is proud. Telling someone you love them means you depend on them. And Arya Stark does not depend on _anyone_.

* * *

It goes on like this. One night, when Gendry thinks Arya is asleep he whispers to her that he loves her. And she hears, but she holds back. They both hold back until one night it happens. Arya has a nightmare. Her father, being executed. Joffrey standing by, watching it happen. This nightmare is routine. It's not even really a nightmare. It's a memory. But Arya hates it. It doesn't scare her so much as make her angry, angry that this happened to her father, angry that she couldn't stop it.

And Gendry knows the time is now. So her takes his head in her hands and he kisses her. Softly. She raises her eyes to look into his, and she slams her mouth against his own with so much force it almost hurts. They continue like this, and it doesn't go any farther. It can't go any farther, not tonight, not here. So they stop, and they hold each other, and Arya knows it's silly and stupid and girlish and so very _not _ Arya, but she can't help thinking that this motel is the best thing that every happened to her, because it finally brought them together. But she shakes the stupid thought from her mind, and she becomes Arya Stark again.

They are halfway between the real world and the dreamland when Arya whispers to Gendry that she loves him. And he knows now that she must have heard him say it before, but he just whispers back that he loves her too.


End file.
